FESTIVALS AND FESTIVALS IN BURMA
Holidays punctuate everyday life; they sometimes last several days, the high point usually being the days of full moon. Pwe ("shows"), music, Burmese boxing matches are part of the festivities. January 4: Independence Day is marked in Yangon by the Kandawgyi Lake Festival (Royal), which lasts 7 days.
January and February: Another date in January and February, the rice harvest festival, the day of the new moon: we prepare the htamane, sticky rice cake, sesame, peanuts ...
February - March: The lunar month of Tabaung is marked by the feast of Shwedagon, the largest paya pwe or "pagoda festival".
April: the feast of water: the three days of Thingyan mark the beginning of the Burmese New Year. We throw buckets of water on everything that moves and we have leaves and flowers in front of the houses to welcome Thagyamin, the king of the nats.
June-July: The full moon of Waso marks the beginning of Buddhist Lent, which lasts three months. The common man is invited to return to religion.
July 19th: Martyrs Day. Day of the assassination of General Aung San and other ministers. Early in the morning, a private memorial ceremony is held near Shwedagon Pagoda.
September-October: during the rainy season, it's the perfect time for boat races on rivers and lakes: at Inle Lake, Buddha statues are paraded on the prestigious Royal Boat, the Karaweik.
October 25th: Festival of elephant dance, the whole city competes to show the most beautiful elephant dance but also the most beautiful decorated elephant. Two people hidden under a real size elephant in paper mache mimic the movements of the animal. A leader assists the two dancers with some musicians to ensure the entertainment. The festival is celebrated one day before Thadingyunt's full moon day.
October: The Festival of Lights celebrates the return to earth of Buddha: for three days, the whole country is lit up with a thousand lights and, after three months of deprivation, organizes pwe in jubilation.
From October 26: A thousand candles surrounded by incense and flowers illuminate the temples of Bagan and pagodas for the full moon Thadingyut and Inle Lake becomes for 18 days, the theater of a magnificent procession that leads four of the five gold-covered statues of the Phaung daw Oo Pagoda, monasteries on stilts in lake villages.
October 29: Inle Lake Celebrations in Burma, Phaung daw Oo Pagoda Celebration. Surrounded by white parasols, gongs, drums, and a crowd alternately fervent or jubilant, the sumptuous royal barge which transports the sacred statues on the lake, is pulled by long pirogues where 50 to 70 rowers belonging Shan and Intha, the minority ethnic groups, stand up, wrapping a leg around the paddle to give it a circular motion with surprising skill. Legend has it that in earlier times, the five statues of the Phaungdaw Oo Pagoda were taken in procession, but at a party, the barge carrying them capsized on the lake. Despite the eagerness shown by the divers, only four statues were found and returned to the pagoda. The next day, the inhabitants discovered with amazement and happiness, that the lost statue had returned from among the others. Since then she has not left her place and watches over the Pagoda during the festivities. In Nyaung Shwe, the animation is in full swing and the small town is invested by one of the biggest popular fairs that can be seen in Burma: Colorful dessert stands and displays of all kinds, tattoo artists, astrologers, shows and performances traditional theatrical ... On the last day, spectacular pirogue races with 100 rowers are organized to celebrate the return of the statues in the Pagoda. Colorful days filled with surprising discoveries.
October - November: The night of the full moon of Tazaungmon, in October-November, is a pretext for a new festival of Enlightenment called Tazaungdaing, very lively, especially in Shan State.
November - December: (Nadaw), nat pwe, or festival of spirits, are very numerous.
December-January: New Year karen (kayin), set at the first rising moon of Pyatho and considered a national holiday.